Family Law

Compassionate Guidance and Strong Advocacy for Minnesota Families

Family-law matters affect the people, relationships, finances, and routines that shape daily life. Whether you are considering divorce, addressing custody or support, or returning to court after an order was entered, you deserve an attorney who listens carefully and explains the path forward in plain language.

At Lauren Pevehouse Law, we help individuals and families in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chisago County, Washington County, and throughout the greater Twin Cities navigate Minnesota family law. We look for practical solutions that reduce unnecessary conflict while preparing to advocate firmly when agreement is not possible.

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‍Call 651-800-1030 or email lauren@laurenpevehouselaw.com to schedule a confidential consultation.

A Clear and Personal Approach to Family Law

These cases are about more than documents and court dates. They are about your children, home, income, property, safety, and future. Our approach is built on three commitments:

  • Personal attention. We take time to understand your goals, concerns, and family circumstances.

  • Clear communication. We explain the legal standards, available options, likely next steps, and important tradeoffs in understandable terms.

  • Practical advocacy. We pursue negotiated solutions when they protect your interests and advocate in court when litigation is necessary.

Before representation begins, we explain the applicable fee arrangement, initial retainer, and anticipated scope of work. Total cost depends on the issues, the level of agreement between the parties, the evidence required, and the amount of court involvement.

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‍Call 651-800-1030 or email lauren@laurenpevehouselaw.com to schedule a confidential consultation.

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‍Call 651-800-1030 or email lauren@laurenpevehouselaw.com to schedule a confidential consultation. 〰️

Every family and every court order is different. The summaries below provide a starting point and connect you with more detailed information about each service.

Minnesota Family Law Services

Minnesota Divorces

Minnesota is a no-fault divorce state. A court may dissolve a marriage after finding an irretrievable breakdown of the marital relationship. Minnesota does not impose a general statutory waiting period before a divorce decree may be entered, but the time required depends on service, financial disclosure, disputed issues, court scheduling, and whether the spouses reach agreement.

We represent clients in uncontested and contested divorces involving property, debt, support, parenting, and retirement issues. Learn more on our Minnesota Divorce page.

Child Custody

Minnesota custody orders address legal custody, which concerns major decisions about a child’s upbringing, and physical custody and residence, which concern routine care and where the child lives. Legal and physical custody may be joint or sole, but the labels do not by themselves establish an equal parenting schedule.

Courts evaluate custody under the child’s best interests and must consider the statutory factors. Minnesota law does not prefer a parent solely because of gender. We help parents develop, negotiate, and litigate custody arrangements that address their children’s safety, stability, development, and relationships. Learn more on our Child Custody page.

Parenting time is the time a parent spends with a child, regardless of the custody label. A workable schedule should address regular weeks, holidays, vacations, school breaks, transportation, communication, and the child’s changing needs.

We help establish, modify, and enforce parenting-time orders. When a parent is denied court-ordered time, remedies may include compensatory parenting time and other relief when the statutory requirements are met. Learn more on our Parenting Time page.

Minnesota child support may include basic support, child-care support, and medical support. The presumptive calculation considers each parent’s gross income, qualifying credits, the parents’ proportional shares of combined income, and the parenting expense adjustment. Other statutory rules and possible deviations may affect the final amount.

We help clients identify income, evaluate self-employment and business records, apply the guidelines, address child-care and medical expenses, and seek or oppose modification. Learn more on our Child Support page.

Parenting Time

Child Support

Spousal maintenance, often called alimony, is not determined by a fixed formula. Minnesota courts consider financial need, ability to pay, marital standard of living, employment prospects, health, marriage length, retirement circumstances, and other statutory factors.

Reforms effective August 1, 2024, use the terms transitional maintenance and indefinite maintenance and establish rebuttable duration presumptions tied to marriage length. We represent spouses requesting maintenance and spouses responding to maintenance claims. Learn more on our Spousal Maintenance page.

Minnesota courts must make a just and equitable division of marital property. Equitable does not necessarily mean that each individual asset is divided equally. The analysis may involve marital and nonmarital claims, valuation, debt, real estate, retirement benefits, businesses, and the practical tax or liquidity effects of a settlement.

We help clients identify, value, trace, negotiate, and divide property while protecting the larger financial picture. Learn more on our Property Division page.

Spousal Maintenance

Property Division

Life may change after a divorce, custody, or support order is entered. Child support, spousal maintenance, custody, primary residence, and parenting time may be modified when the legal standard governing that issue is met. Property division is generally final and can be reopened only in limited circumstances.

Modification and enforcement are different. Modification changes an order, while enforcement asks the court to require compliance with the existing terms. We assist with both. Learn more on our Post-Judgment Modification page.

A divorce decree awarding retirement benefits may require an additional order or transfer process before the plan can implement the division. Many private-employer plans use a Qualified Domestic Relations Order, or QDRO. IRAs, military retired pay, federal civilian benefits, and Minnesota public pensions follow different rules.

We prepare QDROs and other retirement-division documents for current and past divorces, subject to the decree, plan status, and applicable law. Learn more on our QDRO Drafting page.

Post-Judgment Modification and Enforcement

QDRO and Retirement-Order Drafting

Resolving Family-Law Cases With the Right Process

Not every case should follow the same path. Depending on the circumstances, a family-law matter may be resolved through:

  • Direct negotiation between the parties or attorneys;

  • Mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution;

  • A written stipulation submitted for court approval;

  • Motion practice concerning temporary or post-judgment issues; or

  • A contested evidentiary hearing or trial.

Agreement can give families more control over timing, cost, and practical details. Litigation may be necessary when safety, hidden assets, unreliable financial information, parenting concerns, or unreasonable positions prevent a fair agreement. We help clients choose a process based on the facts, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

What to Expect When You Contact Lauren Pevehouse Law

An initial consultation is an opportunity to discuss:

  • The current family situation and any existing court orders;

  • Immediate concerns, including safety, housing, parenting, support, or access to funds;

  • The issues that are agreed and disputed;

  • The documents and financial information that may be needed;

  • Available settlement and court options;

  • The likely next steps; and

  • The fee arrangement and initial retainer for the anticipated representation.

Optional Divorce Retainer Disclosure

If you want the hub page to publish starting retainers, use the following short section. Confirm these figures remain current before publishing:

  • Divorce without minor children: $5,000 initial attorney retainer.

  • Divorce with minor children: $7,500 initial attorney retainer.

An initial retainer is not necessarily the total fee. The amount ultimately charged depends on the engagement terms, work performed, complexity, contested issues, and court involvement. If the firm does not want pricing on the hub page, omit this optional section and retain the broader fee explanation above.

  • Clients need an attorney who can combine empathy with clear judgment. Lauren Pevehouse Law provides:

    • Direct, personal attention;

    • Plain-language explanations;

    • Honest discussion of options and risks;

    • Careful preparation of financial and parenting issues;

    • A focus on practical, durable solutions; and

    • Firm advocacy when agreement is not possible.

    Our goal is not to increase conflict. It is to help you protect what matters, make informed decisions, and move toward greater stability.

  • Lauren Pevehouse Law serves clients in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Woodbury, Maplewood, Stillwater, Chisago County, Washington County, and surrounding Twin Cities communities.